Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

1A State Finals Preview

June 5, 2025
By: Dane Poe, Clayton Hopfinger & Coby Miller
Illinois Staff

This year’s 1A IHSA State Finals are set for this weekend at Illinois Field in Champaign, IL, and it looks like it will be a talented field.

To kickstart the state playoff, Marquette and Lexington will face off at 10 am, and directly following, Father McGivney and Pawnee will play at 1 pm. The third place game will take place Saturday at 10 am with the State championship set to begin at 1 pm.

With extensive coverage of all these games and the 1A State playoff games, you won’t want to miss the action. You can find the coverage on our X @PrepBaseballIL.

Below, you can learn more about the four teams that will be competing for the 2025 1A State championship.

OTTAWA MARQUETTE (33-3)

For the fifth time in seven seasons (excluding the 2020 postponed season) the Marquette Crusaders are heading to the 1A State Finals. Last year was a successful trip as they took home the first place trophy. The Crusaders are looking to become back-to-back champions this year as they head to Champaign on a 16 game winning streak, with their last loss coming at the end of April.

Across their 36 games played so far, the Crusaders have scored 305 runs with a team batting average of .338. This explosive offense is led by five talented bats. At the top of the order, they have SS Alec Novotney (2026) who has a .405 batting average with 12 extra-base hits while coming around to score 44 runs. MIF Griffin Dobberstein (2027) is their two-hole hitter, heading into Champaign with a .340 batting average with 12 extra-base hits while coming in to score 45 runs. Power bat 1B Sam Mitre (2025; Parkland) is leading the team in batting average (.465), doubles (17), RBIs (41), and is tied for first in hits (47) as well as home runs (3). C Keaton Davis (2025; Spoon River) provides another power bat as he has connected on 17 extra-base hits while driving in 32 runs with a .434 batting average. Finally, MIF Anthony Couch (2026) is second on the team in RBIs (37), third in doubles (10) and tied for first in home runs (3) while having a .370 batting average.

As impactful of bats that the Crusaders have, they have one of the top pitching staffs heading to Champaign this weekend. This staff has combined for 353 strikeouts over 224 innings while allowing only 43 earned runs. At the top is Novotney who has an impressive 114 strikeouts over 58 innings while allowing only one earned run, 21 hits, and six walks with an undefeated 9-0 record. Couch follows with 75 strikeouts across 50 innings while having a 2.52 ERA across 13 appearances. Dobberstein is right next to Couch as he has 67 strikeouts across 50 innings with a 1.12 ERA across 14 appearances. Easton DeBernardi (2027) (10 G, 27 IP, 45 SO, 1.81 ERA), Grant Dose (2026) (8 G, 17 IP, 15 SO, 1.24 ERA), and Jaxsen Higgins (2026) (9 G, 20 IP, 36 SO, 2.10 ERA) give the Crusaders depth out of the pen.

Whether it be with their bats or their arms, the Crusaders look like a tough matchup for any team. Looking for a chance to go back-to-back, Marquette is poised to impress at the 1A State Finals in Champaign.

LEXINGTON (19-11)

The Lexington Minutemen return to the State Tournament for the first time since 1990. The Minutemen entered the postseason at just 14-11, but have won five straight, leading them to the State Finals. In their first regional semifinal game, they took down three-seeded Leroy in eight innings and haven’t looked back since. On Monday, they faced off against Catlin (Salt Fork) at Illinois Wesleyan and defeated them 5-2, advancing to Champaign this weekend.

The Minutemen are highlighted by three Juniors: Braeden Barber (2026), Kayden Knight (2026), and Blaine Friedmansky (2026). Barber and Knight both show off their talents at the plate and on the mound. Each of them had a team-leading batting average of (.449). Barber did damage when he was at the plate. He led the team in home runs with six and RBIs with 32, was second in triples with two, and also added five doubles. Knight showed consistency offensively throughout the year. Hitting in the cleanup spot, he had 40 hits, 29 RBI, and eight doubles. Friedmansky can do it all in the box as the leadoff hitter. He comes into the state tournament leading the team in runs (47), hits (42), doubles (9), triples (6), and holding a batting average of .424 with three long balls.

Barber and Knight ate up the majority of innings for the Knights on the mound. Both had just as much success as pitchers as they did with the bat. Barber has been overpowering on the mound for hitters. In 50 innings pitched, he struck out 67 batters. He allowed 32 hits and 19 earned runs, which accounted for a team-best 2.66 ERA. Kayden Knight has been a workhorse on the mound. Knight ranks first on the team in innings pitched with 66, doing so with 60 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.18. Drake Powell (2026) is another impact player who has served as the team's closer and shortstop throughout the season, racking up multiple saves. Most recently, Powell earned the save in the Super-Sectional win over Salt Fork, striking out two. He has worked 26 innings, striking out 23, and earned a 2.96 ERA.

Even with the regular season of 14-11, the Minutemen are looking to carry the momentum they have built into the weekend and come out on top. They will look to lean on their three Junior stars to help them capture their first State title since 1990.

PAWNEE (24-13)

Pawnee will be arriving in Champaign this weekend with no State Tournament experience. The Indians have been challenged in making their first appearance. In the Sectional Championship, Casey-Westfield took the Indians to eight innings, but the clutch hitting of the Indians came through when they needed it the most and topped the Warriors 4-3. The Super-Sectional game was just as close as the Indians took on Waltonville at Southern Illinois Carbondale, and their clutch hitting would again get them a win. They scored one run in the top of the sixth and two runs in the top of the seventh to squeeze past the Spartans.

Hunter Barber (2027) and Carson Wort (2025; Rend Lake) fuel the Indians offense. Hunter Barber is a standout sophomore who patrols centerfield and bats out of the lead-off spot. Carson Wort is a Rend Lake commit who starts behind the dish and locks down the third spot in the order. Both Barber and Wort have come through in a big way this year. With 39 runs and a .404 batting average, Barber leads the team in those categories. He has also collected 42 hits, with 14 of those being extra bases. Wort has brought the power to this lineup. He owns the top mark on the team in hits (43), RBIs (36), doubles (13), and triples (5). In addition, he is second on the team with a .398 batting average, 37 runs, and four home runs.

With stars at the top of the lineup, the production doesn’t just stop there. There is another Wort in the lineup who is also a force. Hudson Wort (2027) handles the cleanup spot for the Indians. From this spot, he has belted five home runs, which tops the team. He further showed his value with 34 hits, 29 RBIs, and a .333 batting average. Coy Clarke (2025; Spoon River) is another name to be on the lookout for heading into the weekend. Clarke does work at the plate and from the rubber. When hitting, he has shown consistency. He’s recorded 36 hits and a .353 batting average. Ethan Fulton (2025) and Carter Morell (2026) are two more guys who help round out the explosive Indian offense. Fulton helps cover the outfield and has 33 hits with a .324 batting average. Morell starts at second and has provided production in the bottom of the order with seven doubles and a .359 batting average.

Coy Clarke has been a mainstay in the pitching rotation for the Indians. He has logged 68 innings this season. He has secured a team-leading eight wins on the season. In the 68 innings pitched, he has recorded 70 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA. The other piece of the rotation is Riley McElroy (2025). McElroy is 5-3 on the year and has a team-best 1.84 ERA. He has thrown 38 innings, allowing only 10 earned runs while striking out 48.

Gavin Greer (2028), a Freshman, has taken on a critical role for this team. He hits out of the two-hole, plays shortstop, and is called out of the bullpen to close down games. Out of the bullpen, he has limited damage. This year, he has 23 innings, 27 strikeouts, and a 2.13 ERA, which is the second-best on the team.

Pawnee will look to use their clutch hitting, depth, and quality pitching to secure their first State Title in school history.

FATHER MCGIVNEY (37-3)

There are few teams in the state that have been able to win as many games as Father McGivney has since the last time they went to the State Finals in 2021. The Griffins have picked up a whopping 140 wins in the past four seasons, but no state championship to show for it. Featuring a high-powered offense and an uber-aggressive attack on the basepaths, Father McGivney is a tough matchup for any one of three teams still alive in the 1A State Playoffs.

At the top of the lineup is 2B Kannon Kamp (2025; SIUE) who boasts a .405 batting average out of the leadoff spot and scoring an even 50 runs on the year. Right behind him is OF Omar Avalos (2027), who sports a .391 batting average of his own and has swatted a team-leading 8 home runs on the year. In the three-hole is super-sectional hero SS Drew Kleinheider (2025; St. Louis), who brought in the eventual winning run in extras against Routt Catholic. Kleinheider has a .405 average of his own and also leads the team in stolen bases with 47. 3B Justin Terhaar (2025; Missouri - St. Louis) has been a force out of the cleanup spot, entering Champaign leading the team in batting average (.509) and RBIs (48). OF Mason Holmes (2025; Hendrix) finds himself second on the team in batting average (.452), and 1B Isaac Wendler (2026) finds himself hitting .402 on the year and second on the team in home runs (5). C Scott Phelps (2026) made a strong impression in his first year as the Griffins primary backstop, hitting .401 on the season while collecting 41 RBIs. OF Benk Sink (2026), INF Ty Etcheson (2026), and INF Riley Sutberry (2025) have all made an impact at the plate for the Griffins as well.

Remember that uber-aggressive attack on the basepaths that was previously mentioned? In 40 games, the Griffins have stolen 201 bases on the year, which is good for 13th all time in a single-season in IHSA history. Kleinheider (47), Terhaar (36), and Avalos (34) all have more than thirty. You can’t ever be caught sleeping when playing Father McGivney, and all three teams are likely aware of this if they want to have success against the Griffins.

The Griffins are not just a high-powered offense, however. Plenty of the aforementioned names played a role in putting up a team ERA of 1.97. The aforementioned RHP Kannon Kamp was the team leader in innings pitched (52.2) and second in both strikeouts (51) and ERA (1.79) among regular starters. RHP Isaac Wendler was dominant on the mound, sporting a 1.91 ERA and punching out a team-leading 57 hitters across 33 innings. LHP Ben Sink led the team in ERA (1.50) across eight outings, and RHP Chase Kelley (2025; Spoon River) and Mason Holmes rounded out the rotation for the Griffins. Out of the ‘pen, LHP Dane Keeven (2025; Monmouth) and RHP Evan Koontz (2025; John Wood) are quality options for head coach Chris Erwin to go to. 

Many have seen Father McGivney as one of the favorites to win the 1A State Final since the beginning of the season and for good reason. Their lineup and pitching staff have given people good reason to believe in the Griffins. They will enter Champaign primed to have a shot at winning their first state title in program history. 

RELATED CONTENT